RWU Campaigns

Stop Crew Fatigue

One of the most - if not the most - pressing safety concerns of train and engine crews in North America is the whole question of chronic train crew fatigue. It has been an issue for decades. It has been scientifically shown that being subject to fatigue is very similar upon the brain and body as being under the influence of alcohol. And while the rail carriers have zero tolerance for the latter, when it comes to the former, they are mute on the subject. In fact, they do not even acknowledge the existence of fatigue at all!

Those of us in the T&E craft - especially those on road freight pools and extra boards - know and understand the harsh reality - and the dangers - of chronic crew fatigue. It is unconscionable that the rail carriers sit idly by and do nothing to mitigate against fatigue. The unions are all too often complicit in this silence. It is high time we mount an all-out campaign to blow the whistle on fatigue. If the general population was aware of what we go through, the dangers that we present to ourselves and the communities we travel through, something would be done to put a stop to this insanity.

Check out the information below. We hope that every single railroader will be inspired to join the fight against crew fatigue!

Articles on Train Crew Fatigue

ARTICLE 12 — The Importance of Sleep: This website was brought to the attention of the webmasters. It is definitely some good, and important, information for railroaders, van crew drivers, and other railroad contractors.

The above link is to a study conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), released 5/1/11 on the subject of operator failure and its relationship to economic damage caused by the resultant accident.

United Steelworkers Health Safety & Environment Conference

Here is a power point presentations that can be very informational when investigating the nature of fatigue in the railroad workplace. This was presented to the Steelworkers conference by the University of Iowa Labor Center September 13th, 2016.

This simple exercise lays out a scenario - similar to one faced every day by engineers and trainmen on railroads across North America - where fatigue is a huge factor in rail safety. Rampant chronic train crew fatigue is a hallmark of the rail industry in both the U.S. and Canada.

Railroad Workers United has established a method of tracking the horrendous lineups we have to live with. We need to all join in the effort to produce data that will show proof of the lack of safety, and the dangerous work environment we are faced with by not having proper rest or time with family and friends.

With your help we can start chipping away at the carriers whom ignore our safety concerns, but we need you to please fill out this form as consistent as possible. Any supporting documentation can be sent to us attached to form if available. Thank you for taking the time to fill this form.

A resource originally created by the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School in 2012 and updated by Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center in 2015. Owned and funded by the Federal Railroad Administration, an operating mode of the U.S. Department of Transportation. This guide - while a helpful resource to assist rails in getting better sleep - is no substitute for better train line-ups, more scheduled jobs, call windows, advance call times, limits on hours-of-work, more time off the job between calls, an end to harsh attendance policies, and all the rest.

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen Dennis Pierce takes the opportunity to weigh in on the question of chronic crew fatigue in a commentary in the October 2016 issue of the Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen News, entitled Now is the Time to Address Rail Worker fatigue.

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RWU Campaigns

Click on any of the icons below to learn about some of the various ongoing RWU Activities and Campaigns

RWU Campaign in Opposition to Behavior Based Safety Programs

RWU Campaign in Opposition to Single Employee Train Crews

RWU's Railroad Workers Legal Defense Efforts in Canada

RWU Fallen Rails Program aims to Honor & Remember All Those Rails Killed on the Job